


Lady of the Sand

by EternalWhiteRose



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Conflicted Emotions, Drama, F/M, Romance, Royalty, a hyrule set sometime in the future, also, before botw but long after oot, characters and tags to be added as we go on, eheniv, ganondorf has feelings, hey look a multichapter story am i okay? no, new reincarnation, to avoid spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-08-21 22:16:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16585274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternalWhiteRose/pseuds/EternalWhiteRose
Summary: "Ah, 'Me Príl'. Directly translates to 'Sand Woman'. A romance, of an indigenous man and a woman from outside of his culture. A classic story of our people."Ganondorf meets Zelda at a young age, and instead of thirsting for her death, he overtime bonds with her in a way that has never been seen before in Gerudo-Hylian history.This is the tale of their marriage.





	1. Zi

Ganondorf Dragmire is on the tail end of his teenage years when he first meets the princess of destiny.

She’s a tiny child, no more than six years old, holding onto her father’s robes as he’s standing at the throne, and Ganondorf frowns. He expected that the princess would at least be closer in age, if they are to be at war like all their past incarnations. He can’t possibly fight a  _ child.  _ He may have a vendetta for the daughter of Wisdom, but his morals do not allow him to attack children; they’re viewed as sacred to the Gerudo.

(As are women, but Ganondorf stopped considering that the princess was spared from death when the child of Courage more than one lifetime ended up being a woman, and he was forced to fight her. It went against everything he was taught, but it had to be done.)

He’s here to shadow the current leader of the Gerudo, Lisasu, the last woman to hold that position until he is of age to take the throne, during a political meeting with the king of Hyrule. In the recent cycles of his reincarnation, there have been…  _ strides  _ taken to lessen the bloodshed between the Hylians and the Gerudo, but the animosity is still there and it never really seems to go away. His sisters have whispered of hope in this lifetime, because there’s already established trade, Gerudo living close to the Hylian land, on the border of Hyrule and the desert, and some women have even been called to the castle to work under the king as messengers. Not quite advisers, which Ganondorf would like because they’d be much closer to the king, but being in the castle was good enough.

He’d ruin it though, he muses as his sister holds out her hand to tell him to stop, so she can approach the throne and greet the king. Ganondorf always ruins the peace because that wretched Hero always comes around to thwart his plans and in turn Ganondorf must always resort to destruction and chaos.

This time will probably be no different.

“King Daphnes,” Lisasu greets in Hylian, bowing her head slightly. There’s an accent on her tongue and he’s sure if he was to speak up he’d have it too. But he held his tongue. He was taught to speak when was spoken to if he wasn’t the highest rank in the room. He watches as the king bows his head and the small princess next to him lets go of his robes so he can sit. Daphnes extends his hand to her and she climbs onto his lap, keeping her blue eyes on Ganondorf the entire time.

Any thought he had that she was a weak princess is blown away. Zelda looks much smarter than she seems to be. Ganondorf has to still his features so he doesn’t make a face or lift a brow and have her see it. Stoic is how things get done in the political world, his sisters taught him.

A few harsh whispers from the corners of the room are also threatening to ruin his mask, because Hylian nobles are Hylian nobles and all they ever do is gossip.

“How is everything in the desert?” Daphnes asks, fingers curling around the armrests of his massive throne.

_ Hot and dreary like it’s always been,  _ Ganondorf thinks.

“Prospering,” Lisasu replies, and again, under the scrutiny of Zelda’s unwavering eyes, he has to make sure his don’t roll. “Our economy has been booming lately and our relationship with the Hylians at our border is doing very well.”

“I see. Very good. May I inquire as to who you have brought with you…?”

“Yes,” Ganondorf steps forward at her response, flexing in his stomach in when her hand gets close to hitting him by accident. “This is Ganondorf. He is next in line as king.”

The room goes silent, and Ganondorf finally allows his facial features to move as both his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. It seems like everyone in this age is  _ educated  _ about the past, how interesting. Normally, when he makes an appearance at the castle without the blatant intent to take over people welcome him with open arms as the ‘king of a broken race’, among other names but now, as he looks around, everyone stares at him in shock.

Except for the young princess. She’s still looking at him with that blank stare, as if she’s trying to get under his skin.

“Your Majesty,” Ganondorf greets, without a bow, but a greeting is a greeting and Daphnes should be satisfied with just that.

His sister shoots him a glare, and in harsh whispered Ehenív reprimands him, _“Sa Éri.” My prince._

_ “Kaf?”  _ He asks, turning his head to her.

_ “Piki ash va Tif.” That is the king. _

Ganondorf steels his eyes back to the princess, and steps back to stand once again behind Lisasu.  _ “Sa Tif, ka'as mus.” _

_ He’s not my king. _

His sister guards him wearily, before turning back to Daphnes and bowing her head. “I apologize for his rudeness. There is still much that we must teach him.”

Daphnes chuckles and pets his daughter’s head, smiling slightly when she tips her head back to look at him, finally breaking the eye contact with Ganondorf. “I understand. Raising this one as a single parent is not the easiest.”

Zelda looks back at Ganondorf and the larger man tenses, not because he would have been caught slouching (maybe, he isn’t too keen on keeping posture just yet but his sisters are constantly drilling him on it) but because her stare feels like it’s going right  _ through  _ him. Like she’s looking beyond his professional mask and seeing right into the various plans he has to maybe take over Hyrule in this lifetime. Maybe, if there’s no child of Courage to screw everything over.

Lisasu and Daphnes continue a conversation for another hour or so, and during that time servants walk in and out of the throne room, always casting the young man a side glance and looking away when he meets their eye. At some point the minister walks in, a short, balding round man that Ganondorf can only recognize through Lisasu’s stories of her ventures to the castle. A few other Gerudo also walk in, and Ganondorf takes a step or two back so to not interfere with the main conversation in the room and allow his other sisters to bow and talk with him. He relishes in their use of their mother tongue; he loves the Hylian language, even if he won’t admit it, but listening to it for a hour like this without having much of an input is exhausting to his ears.

“Zelda,” he hears Daphnes call suddenly, and Ganondorf mutters an apology to his sisters and looks over to the throne. Instead, everyone is looking at  _ him,  _ or, rather, at his feet, and when he looks down, the small princess is standing there, listening in. He’s sure that she can’t understand a lick of Ehenív, but there’s a glint in her eye that tells him she might just be fascinated with the way it sounds. The throne room has gone completely silent, and then he can hear a few people take in a breath as the young girl looks up at him and raises her arms in a silent plea to be lifted.

Ganondorf blinks, and in low, accented Hylian, asks, “Do you wish to listen?”

Zelda nods frantically, and a small smile curls up onto her lips. Ganondorf bends down and lifts her by the underarms, settling her securely on his hip as he nods once to the king. Daphnes visibly calms down, returning to his conversation with the Gerudo leader. Zelda doesn’t say anything, instead she intently looks at Ganondorf and then at the other Gerudo women as they begin to gush over the princess.  _ “And vés!”  _ one of them says, and the other nods enthusiastically.

_ “Twin isk wadala!” _

Zelda pokes Ganondorf’s cheek and he glances at her, clearing his throat. “They say that you are pretty, like a flower.”

She blushes, and looks over at the redheaded women, who smile. “Thank you,” she whispers, clinging to Ganondorf’s clothing.

They both nod and return to their conversation with the prince, stopping every once in a while when Zelda pokes Ganondorf as a way to ask for translation. She’s intuitive; she only asks when the conversation topic turns light and not about politics, and quite frankly, Ganondorf doesn’t  _ mind  _ taking a moment to think about what a word in his language means in order to translate it to Hylian. He’s never had anyone apart from his people have an avid interest in their language.

Let alone anyone of the  _ Royal Family  _ asking for translations so they can somewhat keep up. There’s something obviously different about this Zelda, and Ganondorf isn’t sure if he likes it yet or not. Maybe when she gets older he’ll have a firmer grasp of what her character is like. Now, however, he’ll let her indulge in the interests.

_ “Ash grut isk rand salit ehenív?”  _ he asks, and the women think for a second.

_ “És ashkia lniv.”  _ With a bow, one of them leaves, and Zelda pokes Ganondorf, but instead he smiles and winks. She pouts and pokes him harder, enough to move his head to the side and he reaches over to playfully bite at her fingers. She giggles loudly, and he sees Daphnes startle in his throne, but relax almost immediately when he realizes that there’s no harm being done to his daughter. He then calls for the group to move into the dining room, because he doesn’t want his esteemed guests to be tired after traveling across the scorching desert and then standing in a drab throne room for hours.

(Ganondorf may have added an extra adjective or two that the king didn’t use, but it gets the point across all the same).

When they sit in the dining room, Ganondorf expects Zelda to return right back to her father’s side but instead she clambers up onto his lap and waits for the conversation to begin again, blue eyes shining.

They’re all a few minutes in to their newest conversations when his sister rushes into a room, a thick book wrapped in her arms. She hands it to Ganondorf and he smiles at the cover. It’s not like the book he learned Ehenív in, but as he flips through he can catch that it’s still a very good source of information about their language. He puts in on the table and taps it, switching to Hylian, “This is a book that teaches my language. If you wish to learn, it will help you.”

She beams at him and opens it, scanning the beautifully written words as well as their translations. Ganondorf watches her with a small smile and answers any of her short questions, a little glad that she’d resigned from poking him and instead started turning to face him and speak. Sometimes she’d still hesitate in the middle of her question, glance back at Daphnes, and upon seeing him still deep in conversation with the Gerudo leader she’d continue asking her question. Clearly she wasn’t allowed to ask too much around her father, and Ganondorf does his best to not show his irritation towards the king. A child’s innocent curiosity is the best thing about them, and for King Daphnes to clearly strip it away from the daughter of Wisdom…

Ganondorf may be at an eternal war with Hylia’s descendant but this is just  _ cruel.  _ Every Zelda he’s faced was well-rounded, both in combat and knowledge, and some he’s known since they were young (not as young as this one, but young enough). Even at their tender ages, they’ve been insightful and an active part of the kingdom, giving their opinions on how to rule whenever they could.

He’ll cough up whatever fondness he has for Zelda to her being a child. Because he’s never had such intense feelings for a daughter of Wisdom that  _ weren’t  _ inherently murderous.

They go on for quite a while until dinner is served, and Zelda grabs the book to go to her seat by Daphnes as the servants and cooks prepare the table for the meal. The king looks over at the leather bound tome in his daughter’s hands and his smile, however faint it already was, fades. “What is that, Zelda?” he asks, and instinctively she holds it closer to her and scoots to the edge of her chair.

“A book on Lord Ganondorf’s language,” she replies, and the table has gone silent so they can hear her quiet voice.

“Ehenív?” Daphnes looks up and locks eyes with Ganondorf. “I wasn’t aware we had a book on it.”

“Considering how close Hyrule and the Gerudo have been, it should not be that much a surprise,” Ganondorf all but snarls, wincing as Lisasu jabs him in the side, but doesn’t let up his glare. “My sisters work in your castle, you should have expected that a book on my language would wind up within these walls.”

Daphnes sits back and holds out his hand, frowning when Zelda turns away from him even more. He clears his throat and she pushes the book to him, and he opens it to scan its pages. He closes it and instead of returning it to his daughter, he hands it to a servant with a pointed look that Ganondorf catches. He grounds his teeth but doesn’t say anything. 

They continue dinner in silence, and Ganondorf and his sister bow in farewell for the night so they can head back to the inn at the outskirts of town in order to leave early in the morning for the desert. Zelda looks saddened that they’re leaving, so he waves over a sister and asks quietly, “Is there a way to send Zelda things without anyone else finding out?”

She thinks for a moment and nods. “I can deliver them.”

Ganondorf smiles, and holds his hand out for Zelda to approach. She happily does, and he crouches down to be at eye level with her. “I will send some books from the desert, is that okay?” When she nods excitedly, he pats her head. “And you will keep it from your father?” Zelda nods again, and Ganondorf’s sister calls for him from the door. “We will meet again.” He kisses her hand, and stands up straight, shooting one last dirty look at Daphnes before stepping out of the dining room and falling in step with Lisasu.

“Your behavior today was less than dignified,” she says as they walk, in Ehenív so the guards stationed around won’t catch onto their conversation. “Normally I would be disappointed, but I could see that there was something more to it. You were oddly... _ connected  _ to the young princess.”

“Her father has tight reigns on her,” Ganondorf replies, rolling his shoulders when they finally make it outside. “I don’t like children being kept from what they are capable of. I can clearly see she’s being kept from her full potential, and I would rather fight a princess that can fight back than one that will just once again hide behind the child of Courage.”

His sister eyes him, before smiling softly. “You don’t wish to fight her.”

Ganondorf growls. “Shut up.”

She’s right.


	2. Zx

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> King Daphnes has passed and Ganondorf receives a letter from Princess Zelda to be present.

Ganondorf never has a reason to return to Hyrule until the untimely death of King Daphnes. Even then, he doesn't particularly  _want_ to make an appearance at the castle, but in the back of his mind, he's desperate to see how Zelda is doing. Through the scarce letters he's received (in ever improving Ehenív, might he add) he's learned a lot about her, about how she's used as a pretty little doll to sit around while her father prepares the kingdom for her reign. About how once she's crowned queen, the council will have more power than her. About how she had the Gerudo women hide all books about their culture because her father ordered them to be burned. About how she desperately wished she could escape to the desert and never return home.

And for a long time, Ganondorf wished that he could make her wishes come true. But the Gerudo and the Hylians  _have_ been on very good terms and he doesn't want to completely jeopardize that.

But when one of her letters comes in and asks if he can be present at her father's funeral, he cancels all his previous engagements and sets out for the castle. He leaves Lisasu in charge, because she was once leader and she knows her way around his people.

It takes a few days to make it to the castle but when he does, the people do not welcome him like they did years prior. Instead they regard him with fear, as if he is about to strike them down, although he is clearly weaponless. He'd decided that bringing his massive sword wouldn't be the wisest. "I'm here to see the princess. And attend King Daphnes' funeral." He holds up the letter she'd sent. "I've a written letter from Her Highness if you don't believe me."

A guard approaches carefully, taking the letter and skimming it. He hands it back and gestures to the gatekeepers to open the gates, and Ganondorf steps forward. "Her Highness is in the throne room. You're just in time for the service, Your Majesty."

"Thank you," Ganondorf replies, and he walks inside to the throne room, his long cape billowing behind him. There's no one in the large foyer, so he deduces that everyone in the castle must be gathered in the throne room.

When he opens the door and peeks in, he does so quietly. Everyone inside is facing the throne, where he can see a coffin resting in front of the large chair, the king's crown sitting on top. He stays in the back of the room, near the door, arms folded as he listens to that small balding minister, the same from years ago, lead the massive group in prayer. It's a practice that he finds isn't so different from the Gerudo, apart from the constant asking of blessings from the Goddesses.

A body steps next to him and a small hand rests on his bicep. When he looks down, he frowns slightly at the princess' melancholy look, but doesn't say anything, just offers her his silent condolences by placing his hand over hers. She smiles and leans her head against him. He hadn't even noticed she'd approached, nor where she had come from.

At some point she's had enough because she leads him out of the room, and down the empty hallways. They walk side-by-side, and for the first time out of all his incarnations, he looks at the walls to appreciate the art. "Shouldn't you be in there? He was your father."

Zelda smiles wistfully. "Your Hylian has improved quite a bit since the last time you were here." He growls at her, and she raises a hand to her lips to stifle a giggle. "I'm in no room to talk," she continues, in slightly accented Ehenív, "for I've been practicing ever since the last time we saw each other." She takes in a deep breath. "And I'm not needed in there. I was just standing to the side like a statue to remind everyone that the kingdom still has an heir."

"Except they don't, really," Ganondorf says, and she doesn't respond. "Daphnes may have been a kind king to your people but he was never really a good father, according to your letters. You have no idea how to rule a kingdom, do you?"

"The council will have full control until I become of age to take the crown."

"And then?"

"And then?" Zelda bites her lip and pushes some of her dark blonde hair out of her face. "And then they'll use me as a puppet while they control Hyrule."

"Disgusting," he huffs. "All your predecessors ruled this country with an iron fist all on their own when the time came. I've  _never_   _heard_ of a daughter of Wisdom being  _used_ by a  _council."_

"Well, the minister-"

"What does he know of ruling a kingdom?" Ganondorf asks, turning to face her. She's still so small, not yet grown into the body of a proper ruler, and he shouldn't be so harsh, but he  _has_ to break the walls the late king had put up around her. "The blood of the monarchy runs in you, Zelda, and no one else. You're not someone that they can just put in a cage and show off to the land.  _You're_ the only one capable of ruling this country and ruling it  _well."_

"And then you'll just come around and take it from me, I suppose?" she retorts, and Ganondorf jumps back a bit in surprise at her harsh tone. "Like you've tried in the past?"

"I'll make this painfully clear, Your Highness; if I had  _any_ intention of taking this pathetic kingdom I would have done so already. But my pride refuses to let me take it without a fight and you're not quite ready for one." Ganondorf sighs. "Besides, you were so interested in Ehenív and my culture that I stopped wanting to take over some time ago."

She narrows her eyes at him, trying to see if he's lying, so he adds, "I do not wish to fight you, Zelda."

She relaxes her stance and continues walking, Ganondorf following her. "I missed you, you know," she says, looking up at the high ceilings. "I asked a few times if we could send an invitation for you to join us for a dinner, but Father always refused. He was old-fashioned. Wasn't particularly a fan of your people."

"Trust me, he had made it blatantly obvious years ago. He burned all my people's books, did he?"

Zelda nods, and they walk into a small bed chamber at the end of a long hallway. Ganondorf is reluctant to step inside, but Zelda pulls him in by the hand. "Relax," she says.

"I shouldn't be in here," Ganondorf replies, staying close to the door, even as Zelda closes it. "If anyone catches me in here-"

"What would they do?"

"They'd accuse me of not only bedding an unmarried woman but the unmarried princess of the kingdom." He crosses his arms and leans against the wall when Zelda approaches him. "Of course, I would  _never_ because I know better and I'm not some animal."

"People  _have_  called you a pig in the past."

"I  _will_ hit you."

Zelda laughs, stepping close enough that her forehead gently touches the breastplate of his armor. He reaches up and pats her head, like he did some time ago, and she hums. "How old are you now?" he asks quietly, as she presses her cheek to his chest with a soft sigh.

"Fourteen. I was six when you last saw me."

"I'm surprised you even recognized me."

She pulls back, raising a brow at him. "How could I not? You haven't changed, apart from growing out your hair a little and your new crown." She raises a hand and it barely makes it over his head, even when she strains on her toes. "And you're still as tall as a tree!"

He grins, one of his canines snagging on his lip and making him look more cocky than he already is. "Wish I could say the same about you. You've gotten taller, your hair's a little darker, your face has gotten slimmer." He puts his hands on her cheeks and looks at her more carefully, squeezing just enough to make her lips pucker obnoxiously. "Have you been eating enough?"

"My father may have kept me from a lot, but my cooks sure didn't." She shakes her head away with a laugh, taking a step back and twirling around. "And just my face has changed? Nothing else?"

Ganondorf averts his gaze, staring at her vanity in the corner that's covered more in paper than makeup, like his sisters' vanities. "You're playing a dangerous game, princess."

"I've talked with my council about marrying you."

Ganondorf's knees buckle suddenly and he has to catch himself on the wall. " _Excuse me?"_ he asks, in Hylian, because for a second he's completely forgotten Ehenív. "What have they said?"

"They're all very much against it, no surprise." She sits down in one of her cushioned chairs, most of her wight settling against the arm. "They think you'll return to your  _barbarian_ ways and drive Hyrule into ruin."

"How can I return to barbarian ways if I haven't been a barbarian yet?" he chuckles with a shake of his head. "Your council is filled with morons."

"Remember they'll be ruling when I become queen."

"Even if you marry?"

Zelda shakes her head. "That's why I mentioned you. If I married you, it would satiate your deep-rooted desire for Hyrule  _and_ the council won't have have control because there will be a king." She shrugs. "You could keep me like a pretty little doll on a shelf while you did whatever you want."

" _If_  I married you," he begins, using his foot to push off of the wall and walk to her dresser where a small tiara sits on a decorative pillow. He can tell this is from her early years, because there's no way it can fit her now. He's surprised that she's not wearing one now, since it's her father's funeral and she even said that she was used more as a item to show off. "I would never keep you from your duties. You have a duty to your people, and I won't keep you from that. You are more than capable of ruling a country if you're taught how."

Zelda looks at him, face flushed red as she tried to smoothen a tangle in her hair that isn't there. He finds that he likes to see her squirm in this way. It's different than when he's conquering her land, because then she's terrified of him, while this is more of an embarrassed squirm that he doesn't often see in the Gerudo. His women were strong and unafraid of what they dish out, while Hylians were often more reserved.

(This is most obvious, he notes, with how they dress, but that's also in part because the Gerudo live in the hot desert and can't really wear the multiple layers that Hylians wear on a daily basis.)

He smiles. "This is a hypothetical, of course, I hope you understand."

"Y-yes, yes, of course." She clears her throat. "I understand very well."

"However, if you were serious about a proposal, I  _would_ accept." He covers his face with his hand. "Never thought I would  _ever_  say that to a daughter of Wisdom."

"I never thought I would strike a friendship with the son of Power, either," Zelda snaps, but there's no real anger, because she's smiling.

"You're insinuating something  _more_ than friendship, young princess." Ganondorf falls into a chair near her, crossing his massive legs as the chair creaks and Zelda looks at it. He smirks, because he's always resigned from sitting on Hylian furniture because it isn't created for his stature. "A young unmarried woman like yourself really  _shouldn't_ be talking about marriage with a man in your bedroom.  _Scandalous."_

"A young, unmarried man like yourself shouldn't have followed me into my bed chambers, Your Majesty." She giggles, and when Ganondorf moves to rest his elbows on his knees, the chair finally lets out its final croak and breaks into small pieces underneath him. He lets out a roar of a laugh that invites Zelda to join in, sliding from her chair to sit next to him on the floor. Once their giggle-fest came to a stop, Zelda looks up at Ganondorf, who, even while they're sitting next to each other on the floor, towers over her by at least two heads. "I'm only talking about marriage with you because so far, you're the only one I would think to marry."

"We're technically  _enemies,_ Zelda," Ganondorf whispers as she tucks herself against his chest. "Your council will-"

" _You_ were the one hounding my council earlier for controlling my reign and now you're going to  _complain_ that the council won't like it if we married?" Zelda asks incredulously, snorting a little. "Make up your mind, Ganondorf."

"I hate them. And they hate me."

"They'll just choose someone that I can marry to resolve conflicts with another country. Conflicts that can be easily solved through a treaty or two. The feud between Hyrule and the Gerudo needs more than a piece of paper dictating rules." Ganondorf raises an eyebrow. "I haven't  _just_ been reading books on Ehenív, you know. I snuck in a few of Gerudo and Hyrule's history books as well."

"Keep reading then," he says as he presses his forehead to hers and she hums happily. "Maybe you'll find something that will tell you how to get past your council and marry a man of a 'barbarian' race."

She smiles and their noses touch when she scoots a little closer. "Is that a yes?"

Ganondorf chuckles lowly. "I won't answer to anything that isn't a proper proposal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi im back  
> sorry for the long wait
> 
> my dog zelda died and i decided to help get my mind off of it while also posting something in her namesake. so im spending time working on this fic.
> 
> love you and miss you, zel baby.

**Author's Note:**

> hey yall welcome to 'i promised myself i wouldnt write a zelgan a few years ago but now i read a few meaning all of them here on ao3 and have no self control so oops' episode 1  
> lmao i love zelgan im sorry
> 
> feel free if ya new to my little group of roses to follow me on any social medias listed on my bio
> 
> *Va Ehenív is the fictional language of the Gerudo created by Nina-Kristine Johnson. I'm slowly learning it, so the grammar might be off, but it isn't used much in the actual story apart from a few dialogue lines here and there to reference changes in language between Hylian and Va Ehenív where Hylians would not understand. However, most, if not all, of this tale is centered around Ganondorf, so the direct changes in language will be minimal. Please look it up if you want to learn it!


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